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Hunga-Tonga - a Volcanic Eruption That Alarmed Scientists

August 25, 2023

Volcanoes can pose major dangers. The eruption in 2022 of the underwater Hunga Tonga volcano in the South Pacific alarmed scientists. It was the most powerful ever measured with modern instruments.

https://p.dw.com/p/4VZyu
Tonga | Vulkanausbruch Unterwasservulkan Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai
Image: Tonga Geological Services/REUTERS

When the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai blew up in the South Pacific in January of 2022, the effects were felt around the world. Researchers saw the huge eruption as a warning signal. Many are now calling for better early warning systems. 

 

Vulkan I Entna in Italien
Image: Salvatore Allegra/AP/picture alliance

Where does carbon dioxide in volcanic eruptions come from?

Volcanoes can emit CO2 and other gases. How much they pump out depends on the volume of magma and other factors.

 

 

 

 

 

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Image: H. Blossey/blickwinkel/picture alliance

Could a volcano in Germany awake?

A volcanic field stretches under Laach Lake in western Germany. It’s not active, but 13,000 years ago it was the site of a major eruption. Could it happen again? Small earthquakes in the region have drawn the attention of researchers.

 

 

 

 

Leuchtende Lavaströme
Image: Getty Images/Aurora Creative/G. B. Lewis

Cooking up a volcano model

Volcano researchers are especially interested in how magma flows beneath the earth. How do reservoirs form? Which paths do the molten rock take? In the lab, volcanoes made of gelatin can help shed light on the matter.

 

 

 

 

BdTD | Chile
Image: Sebastian Escobar/AFP

The Villarrica volcano – history and science

The Villarrica volcano in Chile is one of the most active in South America. An eruption could have devastating consequences for surrounding villages. A team is researching how mudslides there can be better predicted. And the indigenous Mapuche who live at its foot have their own relationship with the volcano.

 

 

 

 

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